United States: Antitrust

Cartel

White & Case LLP has an impressive reputation defending clients in DOJ and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigations, as well as those brought by antitrust regulators overseas, and also in related civil litigation. Christopher Curran, Eileen Cole, Claire DeLelle and others are representing Maruyasu Industries in the DOJ‚Äôs investigation into alleged price-fixing and market allocation of auto parts. The firm is also assisting individuals and companies with investigations related to generic drugs, capacitors and container shipping, among other areas. Mark Gidley is the global practice head. Other names to note include Martin Toto and John Chung (both are based in New York), Peter Carney and George Paul. In recent developments, Ross Elfand and David Suggs (who both practice in New York) made partner, as did Frank Hogue.

Merger control

White & Case LLP delivers results in accordance with the expectations of global clients in US second request investigations, multi-jurisdictional merger reviews and merger litigation. The US merger control practice is anchored by George Paul and Rebecca Farrington, who worked alongside Mark Gidley, Christopher Curran and others to advise Anthem on the DOJ‚Äôs and plaintiff states‚Äô lawsuit challenging the client‚Äôs proposed $54.2bn acquisition of Cigna. Farrington, Robert Milne in New York and counsel Anna Kertesz assisted Vertex Pharmaceuticals with obtaining FTC clearance (without remedies, following the issue of a second request) for its circa $250m acquisition of cystic fibrosis drug CTP-656 from Concert Pharmaceuticals. The firm has also acted for clients such as Calpine Corporation, Aramco Services Company and Sempra Energy. John Donaldson and counsel Douglas Jasinski are recommended. Named individuals are based in Washington DC, except where otherwise stated.

United States: Dispute resolution

Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense

Led by Washington DC‚Äôs Darryl Lew, White & Case LLP has a global practice that is known for providing ‚Äėvery strong commercial acumen and smart advice‚Äô to multi-jurisdictional corporate criminal and investigatory matters, particularly in Latin America. Miami‚Äôs Daniel Fridman and Michael Garcia are assisting JBS with its implantation of a global compliance program, in connection with a leniency agreement executed by the client‚Äôs parent company following a corruption investigation involving the president of Brazil. ‚ÄėA real trial lawyer with a lot of leadership skills‚Äô, Boston‚Äôs Michael Kendall has extensive FCPA, FCA and anti-kickback expertise, and represents a number of senior executives involved in criminal investigations. New York‚Äôs Virginia Chavez Romano is another key practitioner with a focus on securities fraud matters.

General commercial disputes

White & Case LLP is recommended for its ‚Äėoutstanding expertise, responsiveness and devotion to its clients‚Äô interests‚Äô. Its global litigation capabilities are a major draw for large companies with multinational operations, particularly in the technology sector. Bryan Merryman and Rachel Feldman in Los Angeles represented Time Warner Cable, Saveology.com and Elephant Group as defendants in a putative class action alleging violations of the California Invasion of Privacy Act that sought to recover over $1.85bn on behalf of the putative class. In New York, global chair of commercial litigation Glenn Kurtz and Douglas Baumstein are ‚Äėtop-notch partners‚Äô and Washington DC-based international disputes specialist Claire DeLelle is ‚Äėvery calm and measured‚Äô. The firm bolstered its cybersecurity and national security practice with the hire of Steven Chabinsky in Washington DC from cybersecurity technology company CrowdStrike.

International arbitration

White & Case LLP is commended for its investor-state arbitration expertise and the team has ‚Äėdeep experience‚Äô across the energy, construction, oil and gas, financial services and transport sectors. Highlights included acting for the Republic of Uzbekistan in several matters, including securing the successfully dismissal of a $132m ICSID case brought by Spentex Netherlands for alleged violations of the applicable investment laws. It has also handled several matters for the Republic of Peru, and is advising said client in an ICSID arbitration brought by the parent companies of Caraveli under the Spain-Peru BIT. In New York, department head Paul Friedland and Ank Santens are singled out for praise, while in Washington DC the ‚Äėfirst-rate‚Äô Carolyn Lamm, Andrea Menaker, Jonathan Hamilton, who heads the Latin American arbitration practice, and the ‚Äėexceptional‚Äô Abby Cohen Smutny are recommended.

International litigation

White & Case LLP has ‚Äėoutstanding expertise in international litigation and shows both responsiveness and devotion to clients‚Äô interests‚Äô. The lawyers ‚Äėknow how to strategize when handling complex legal and factual issues‚Äô. New York-based global chair of litigation Glenn Kurtz is ‚Äėa top-notch lawyer with lots of commercial acumen‚Äô and presides over deep bench of talent both in the US and across the firm‚Äôs global network. In the Washington DC office, clients recommend experienced trial lawyer Christopher Curran and Farhad Jalinous, who is ‚Äėoutstanding‚Äô in Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States matters. Leading light Owen Pell in New York recently defended the Republic of Peru in a $213m breach of contract claim concerning alleged default on sovereign bonds issued in 1875.

International trade

With eight partners centred out of Washington DC and aided by lawyers in strategically important offices abroad including Brussels and Geneva, White & Case LLP is well placed to provide a ‚Äėstrong service‚Äô to clients across the panoply of international trade issues, including trade remedies work and advice relating to national security matters. Gregory Spak has niche expertise acting in cases involving Latin American countries; he is representing LDC Argentina and Louis Dreyfus Company Claypool Holdings in countervailing and anti-dumping duty investigations involving imports of biodiesel from Argentina before the DOC. David Bond handles high-level policy work and trade remedies matters and is currently acting for the European Steel Association in the DOC‚Äôs Section 232 investigation concerning the effects of steel imports on national security. On the transactional front, Farhad Jalinous ‚Äėreally knows the law relating to CFIUS and has extensive experience in working on investments by foreign investors‚Äô. Jalinous regularly handles deals in the technology sector and recently helped secure CFIUS clearance for Taiwanese company GlobalWafers on its acquisition of SunEdison Semiconductor. Other recommended practitioners include Walter Spak, for trade remedies; William Clinton, for WTO matters; and Richard Burke, for sanctions and export control matters.

Securities litigation: defense

White & Case LLP‚Äôs head of commercial litigation Glenn Kurtz in New York oversees a practice that built on its track record of success in 2017. Douglas Baumstein and Kim Haviv obtained the dismissal of all claims against German technology company Aixtron in a class action that alleged misrepresentations and material omissions in press releases and SEC filings. Owen Pell, Bryan Merryman in Los Angeles and Washington DC-based Christopher Curran acted for Toshiba Corporation in a case regarding American depository receipts in which plaintiffs asserted that a foreign issuer is subject to the US Exchange Act even if it has not sponsored an ADR program in the US.

Capital markets: equity offerings

White & Case LLP handles a broad spread of equity matters for both issuers and underwriters, with notable expertise in technology, life sciences, infrastructure and cross-border - particularly Latin America-related - offerings. In a strong example of its multijurisdictional prowess New York-based John Vetterli, who is regional head of the Americas capital markets group, acted alongside the firm‚Äôs Sao Paulo office to assist Loma Negra Compa√Ī√≠a Industrial Argentina Sociedad An√≥nima with its IPO and listing of American depositary shares on the NYSE, totaling $1.1bn. On the underwriter side, the ‚Äėtechnically excellent‚Äô Colin Diamond - also based in New York - advised the underwriters on three offerings by IQVIA Holdings worth a combined $2.7bn. The firm has also recently undertaken work for Kornit Digital, NeuroDerm and Roivant Sciences. In 2018, global capital markets specialist Taisa Markus joined from Paul Hastings LLP.

Capital markets: global offerings

White & Case LLP‚Äôs practice, which is steered from New York by Americas capital markets head John Donovan, is a strong performer in Latin American, European, Middle Eastern and Asian markets. Highlights included ‚Äėvery strong‚Äô regional group lead John Vetterli working hand-in-hand with the Sao Paulo office to advise Argentina‚Äôs Loma Negra Holding on its $1.1bn IPO. New York-based Colin Diamond is also a high-profile figure in the team and acted alongside New York‚Äôs Holt Goddard, and the Hong Kong and Singapore offices, to asssist the underwriters with a $1.1bn sale of ordinary shares and American depositary shares of Melco Resorts & Entertainment. Among its recent debt work, the firm advised the joint book-runners and the co-manager on Peruvian state-owned Petr√≥leos del Per√ļ‚Äôs $2bn bond offering. In 2018, capital markets specialist Taisa Markus joined from Paul Hastings LLP.

Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings

White & Case LLP has traditionally been stronger on the manager side, with the firm leveraging its strong relationships with major global lenders to routinely advise underwriters on major domestic and cross-border high-yield offerings. However, the firm‚Äôs focus on raising its issuer-side profile has paid dividends, and it handled a string of headline mandates for major corporations through 2017. Most notably, New York partners Gary Kashar and Andrew Weisberg advised Calpine on a tack-on private placement of notes worth $560m. The same team also assisted Dynergy with a $850m offering of notes and a $1.2bn cash tender offer. Underwriter-side highlights include Kenneth Suh acting for the joint lead arrangers on two notes offerings worth $1.4bn by Golden Nugget connected to its complex reorganization with Landry‚Äôs. Also in New York, Ronald Brody and Jonathan Michels advised Jefferies and Macquarie Capital as joint book-running managers and initial purchasers on Everi Payments‚Äô $375m offering of senior unsecured notes.

Commercial lending

White & Case LLP are ‚Äėreal experts in the leveraged finance market‚Äô who ‚Äėprovide immense value for the fees that we pay them‚Äô. Clients appreciate the ‚Äėextremely talented and deep bench‚Äô as well as the ‚Äėclose partner attention and consistent personnel from deal to deal‚Äô. Global banking head Eric Leicht is very well regarded in the market, and one major client notes: ‚Äėno leveraged lending lawyer in my professional experience provides superior lender representation‚Äô. The ‚Äėexcellent‚Äô US banking head Jake Mincemoyer is also praised for being ‚Äėextremely efficient and knowledgeable‚Äô and ‚Äėhas a ton of relevant knowledge about the market‚Äô. Other key names include Eric Klar in Miami, as well as New York‚Äôs David Bilkis, Eliza McDougall, and Dan Nam. The firm also boosted its ranks in the US through the arrival of Rob Bennett and Justin Wagstaff from the London office, and the recruitment of Sabrena Silver from Linklaters LLP, who is known for her Latin America expertise. Deal highlights include representing Deutsche Bank, Mizuho and Credit Agricole on a $1.54bn loan to Softbank subsidiary Foundation Holdings for its acquisition of Fortress Investment Group. The firm also advised Nomura Securities and Jeffries Finance on the $2.5bn recapitalisation of BJ‚Äôs Wholesale. The borrower side was also active, and the firm advised Pilot Travel Centers on a major $4.6bn refinancing. Another highlight was advising Stone Point Capital on the $1bn financing for its acquisition of Focus Financial Partners.

Project finance

White & Case LLP has a stellar reputation for LNG projects; New York-based Jason Webber and Washington DC-based Sean Johnson are acting for FLNG Liquefaction II on its private placement of $450m of investment-grade project bonds as part of the financing of the natural gas liquefaction and LNG export facility being constructed at Quintana Island near Texas. Additional mandates in the oil and gas sector were undertaken for national oil companies such as Saudi Aramco and Adnoc; New York-based Wendell Maddrey was part of an international team advising the former on its potential joint venture with PT Pertamina to expand and upgrade Pertamina‚Äôs Cilacap refinery in Indonesia. In the lender space, the practice regularly assists with projects in Latin America: Miami-based Carlos Viana and Jeannine Acevedo are advising the senior lenders, and Prudential as initial fixed-rate note purchaser, on a long-term project financing for the development of a 600km electricity transmission line in Chile; and Washington DC-based Ned Neaher is advising Banco Santander-Chile on the financing of the value added tax associated with the construction of two wind farm projects in Chile. The practice is led from New York by global practice head Arthur Scavone. Other key figures in that office are Clark Wohlferd and PPP specialist Dolly Mirchandani, who joined from Allen & Overy LLP.

Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate

White & Case LLP has a strong national and multinational restructuring and insolvency practice known for its high-profile representations of creditors, hedgefunds and bank lenders. During the wave of energy and E&P bankruptcies it has secured several significant matters such as advising the coordinating committee of senior secured lenders, holding over $10bn of indebtedness, on Seadrill‚Äôs Chapter 11 proceedings; assisting the official committee of unsecured creditors with Samson Resources Company‚Äôs Chapter 11 restructuring; and advising Wilmington Trust as indenture trustees on the cross-border liquidation of Petroplus. With a strength in cross-border engagements and representation of multinational Latin American companies, it also assisted Brazilian telecoms company Oi with its $19bn restructuring proceedings. The team is further advising OAS, a construction and engineering company based in Brazil, on potential out-of-court restructuring options for its $1.7bn bond debt, as well as on its US Chapter 15 proceedings. Thomas Lauria heads the practice which recently welcomed Brian Pfeiffer from Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP; both split time between New York and Miami. Other additions to the team include Philip Abelson from Proskauer Rose LLP and David Turetsky from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, both based in the New York office.

Structured finance: derivatives and structured products

The department at White & Case LLP regularly advises on derivatives aspects of larger leveraged finance and refinancing transactions, and has considerable experience in cross-border project finance transactions. Ian Cuillerier acted for a consortium of senior lenders on hedges in connection with multiple financings worth $822m for the unification of Chile‚Äôs power grid. Cuillerier also advised multinational energy companies and financial institutions on issues concerning ISDA master agreements, CFTC regulations, the Commodities Exchange Act, and regulatory compliance pursuant to the final stages of Dodd-Frank implementation. International Finance Corporation is another of the team‚Äôs clients.

United States: Industry focus

Energy litigation: conventional power

Public utilities, power generators, power marketers, merchant transmission providers, project developers as well as government and state owned entities are among White & Case LLP‚Äôs clients. The team is regularly engaged in FERC proceedings and has solid experience in disputes before federal district courts. Daniel Hagan, head of the firm‚Äôs energy markets and regulatory practice, is the key contact; he handles contentious matters before various federal and state agencies and is well versed in investigations and enforcement proceedings.

Energy transactions: conventional power

White & Case LLP enjoyed a strong year for public M&A with Gregory Pryor and Michael Deyong advising Sempra Energy on its $18.8bn acquisition of Energy Future Holdings, and Michael Shenberg is part of a team acting for Calpine on its $17bn sale to Energy Capital. The team is also highly active in the finance space where it acts for the likes of BNP Paribas. Additional contacts in the New York office are global practice head Art Scavone and Elena Millerman, while in Miami Christian Hansen is the name to note.

Energy transactions: oil and gas

White & Case LLP is ‚Äėparticularly good where there is a project finance element to deals‚Äô, and the team often features on international LNG projects. Other areas of expertise include M&A and insolvency; New York based co-chair Jason Webber acted for Global Infrastructure on its $1.8bn acquisition of Medallion Gathering & Processing. Clark Wohlferd (also in New York) is the other main contact.

Energy: renewable/alternative

White & Case LLP is singled out for its ‚Äėgreat industry knowledge and track record with development finance institutions in Latin America‚Äô; The team acted for the Brazilian Development Bank on the financing of five wind power plants in Brazil. The practice also regularly acts for foreign lenders involved in project finance and tax equity investments in US projects. Additional contacts in the predominantly New York-based team are the ‚Äėpragmatic‚Äô Marius Griskonis and global energy head Arthur Scavone.

Environment: litigation

White & Case LLP‚Äôs ‚Äėoutstanding team‚Äô recently acted in disputes concerning environmental compliance, contamination-related liabilities, and environmental damages. The department represented Pfizer and its affiliates in litigation arising from the Lower Passaic River Superfund site in New Jersey. New York-based counsel Seth Kerschner and associate Matthew Wisnieff are ‚Äėextremely diligent, well prepared, and smart‚Äô. Former practice head Douglas Halsey left to start his own firm.

Environment: transactional

White & Case LLP is ‚Äėa strong performer‚Äô. The practice acted as environmental counsel to Hovensa in the sale of its US Virgin Islands petroleum terminal and refining assets. New York-based counsel and group head Seth Kerschner ‚Äėcombines an in-depth knowledge of environmental and climate change law with a savvy business sense‚Äô; associate Laura Mulry ‚Äėspots the deal issues that require client focus‚Äô. Former practic head Douglas Halsey left to start his own firm.

United States: Labor and employment

White & Case LLP‚Äôs team has a strong track record advising on the executive compensation and ERISA aspects of corporate and capital markets transactions. Practice head Henrik Patel advised Sempra Energy on its $18.8bn acquisition of Energy Future Holdings. He also recently acted for NeuroDerm in its all-cash sale to Japanese company Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, and teamed up with counsel Kenneth Barr to advise Anthem on its now-terminated $52.4bn agreement to acquire Cigna Corporation. Victoria Rosamond, Tal Marnin and Silicon Valley‚Äôs Jeffrey Ii (who are all counsel) are also names to note. Named attorneys are based in New York unless otherwise stated.

United States: M&A/corporate and commercial

M&A: large deals ($1bn+)

White & Case LLP impresses with its domestic and global credentials and is engaged in a high volume of large-cap M&A transactions. Clients highlight the firm‚Äôs ‚Äėsolid counsel in many jurisdictions due to its global presence‚Äô making it ‚Äėhead and shoulders above‚Äô many others on cross-border deals and ‚Äėa powerhouse among M&A law firms‚Äô. Clients also praise the ‚Äėinnovative approach‚Äô, ‚Äėdepth and breadth of the M&A practice‚Äô, ‚Äėoutstanding judgment with a thorough understanding of relevant market and industries‚Äô and ‚Äėseamless and outstanding client service‚Äô. It is ‚Äėmore responsive, creative and practical than many other firms‚Äô, according to one client. In addition, the team‚Äôs experience in private equity, makes it especially adept in competitive auction situations. In 2017, the firm advised power generation company Calpine Corporation on its $17bn sale to Energy Capital Partners and a consortium of investors. It continued to advise health benefits giant Anthem on its landmark $54.2bn acquisition of global health insurance service company Cigna Corporation; the firm‚Äôs work involved headline disputes with Cigna in the Delaware Court of Chancery over payment of a $1.85bn reverse termination fee and other claims relating to alleged breaches of the merger agreement. Further demonstrating the firm‚Äôs experience in energy and infrastructure, it advised Sempra Energy on its $18.8bn acquisition of Energy Future Holdings, which indirectly owns 80% of Oncor Electric Delivery. John Reiss is global head of M&A and ‚Äėensures that the firm works seamlessly across multiple offices, jurisdictions and practice areas‚Äô. Global co-head of the private equity practice Oliver Brahmst and head of the Americas corporate and M&A practice Gregory Pryor are also high-profile names. Dan Dufner is ‚Äėextremely responsive, creative and flexible‚Äô, ‚Äėan extraordinary counselor‚Äô with ‚Äėskill, sound judgment, loyalty and dedication‚Äô. Morton Pierce brings further senior level gravitas and Michael Shenberg is recommended for power sector deals. Silicon Valley‚Äôs global head of technology M&A William Choe is ‚Äėtop notch‚Äô, ‚Äėinvests time into understanding clients‚Äô businesses and strategy‚Äô, ‚Äėis commercially savvy‚Äô and ‚Äėprovides effective communication‚Äô. Denise Cerasani is ‚Äėsecond to none‚Äô and has ‚Äėbest-in-class judgment‚Äô; she is noted for her experience with financial advisers. Clients also praise the strength of the firm‚Äôs tax team in M&A transactions. Named partners are based in New York unless stated otherwise.

Private equity buyouts

White & Case LLP‚Äôs investment in building out its global private equity practice is paying considerable dividends. Its client base in the US now includes the likes of CVC Capital Partners, Global Infrastructure Partners, Harvest Partners, Quad-C Management, Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, Investcorp, Certares, Dominus Capital and Triton. The firm is most active in the middle market, though is also relied upon to advise on large-cap deals, and recently it advised CVC on its $1.42bn acquisition of PDC Brands from Yellow Wood Partners. It also represented Global Infrastructure Partners on its $1.82bn acquisition of Medallion Gathering & Processing. The firm is ‚Äėon a par or better‚Äô than the top law firms in private equity, according to one client, and ‚Äėalways has the expertise needed in-house‚Äô, with clients also praising its global coverage and ability to handle multi-jurisdictional deals. Global co-head of private equity Oliver Brahmst is ‚Äėsecond to none‚Äô and ‚Äėa leader who steps up when it is critical to do so‚Äô. Global head of M&A John Reiss also has extensive private equity experience. Carolyn Vardi is also recommended, and Matthew Kautz is ‚Äėa trusted counsel‚Äô and ‚Äėprovides excellent advice often in difficult situations‚Äô. Dan Latham is ‚Äėan extraordinary lawyer‚Äô with ‚Äėa sharp mind‚Äô and ‚Äėan ability to understand his client‚Äôs perspective‚Äô.

United States: Media, technology and telecoms

Outsourcing

White & Case LLP‚Äôs global sourcing and technology transactions practice has recognized strength across IP, IT and outsourcing deals, including complex cross-border transactions. In New York, Adam Chernichaw, whose clients include WhatsApp and Royal Bank of Canada, and Daren Orzechowski, who advises Intel and Google, are the key contacts. Chernichaw‚Äôs recent work included advising Natixis on digitalization and regulatory-driven technology matters, which involved the procurement of cloud services for its compliance processes. Orzechowski acted for SalesForce on IT and cloud computing matters as part of a wide-ranging project that included the creation of a new data-as-a-service offering.

Technology: transactions

White & Case LLP‚Äôs work ranges from complex outsourcing arrangements and strategic alliances to product development, licensing and M&A; and the client base includes hi-tech, social media, consumer technology, pharma, medical device, semiconductor and fintech clients. The team advised German-based technology company Aixtron on the IP aspects of the divestiture of its atomic layer deposition and chemical vapor deposition memory product line; it also assisted Nasdaq-listed brand management company Iconix Brand Group with the $345m sale of its entertainment division to DHX Media. Adam Chernichaw, Daren Orzechowski and Arlene Hahn are highly rated. Named attorneys are based in New York, except where otherwise stated.

United States: Tax

International tax

White & Case LLP‚Äôs cross-border expertise covers tax planning, transfer pricing, tax controversy, post-acquisition integration, investigative matters and tax legislative initiatives. The team advised Saudi Arabia‚Äôs national petroleum company Aramco on its joint venture with Dow to build and operate a $20bn integrated chemicals complex in Saudi Arabia, and assisted public Chinese company Shenzhen Pharmaceutical and its US subsidiary Hepalink with the acquisition of Scientific Protein, a global manufacturer and supplier pharmaceutical ingredients. Washington DC‚Äôs Kim Boylan and New York‚Äôs William Dantzler are the main contacts.

US taxes: contentious

At White & Case LLP, Washington DC-based tax global head Kim Boylan has been representing Swiss bank DZ Privatbank before the DOJ in the framework of the department‚Äôs program for non-prosecution or non-target letters for Swiss banks. Calpine, Pfizer and The Walt Disney Company are other active clients. New York‚Äôs William Dantzler and Washington DC‚Äôs Brian Gleicher, who specializes in transfer pricing, are also recommended.

US taxes: non-contentious

White & Case LLP is best known for its M&A and private equity tax work, particularly in the energy, pharmaceutical and entertainment industries, while another focus is tax advice to sovereign wealth funds. William Dantzler advised NeuroDerm on its $1.1bn all-cash sale to Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, while David Dreier assisted Sempra Energy with its $18.8bn acquisition of Energy Future Holdings. Ray Simon acted for The Walt Disney Company in several matters, including the establishment of its $4bn euro medium-term note program. Dantzler also advised Roark Capital and its portfolio company, restaurant group Arby‚Äôs, on the latter‚Äôs acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.9bn. James Hayden and Sang Ji are also key M&A tax partners. All mentioned practitioners are based in New York.

The 2018 year in review in Korea was notable for the sluggish overall economy, uncertainty surrounding the geo-politics and impact on Korea due to the global trade wars, on-going concerns related to the lack of jobs and unemployment, increased taxes and burdens for businesses and families, and no meaningful improvement or clarity in the current situation for 2019. In response, the Korean National Assembly passed a legislation called the Financial Innovation Support Act (the ‚ÄúFinISA‚ÄĚ) on December 7, 2018 to spark the financial services industry in conjunction with FinTech products and services. The FinISA, which will soon take effect in March 2019, is intended to lay the legal foundation to introduce a regulatory sandbox for innovative financial services, where FinTech firms test their new products and services without certain regulatory oversight pursuant to exemptions for a limited period of time (‚ÄúSandbox‚ÄĚ). As the FinISA exempts or defers application of existing finance-related regulations for new financial technology, products or services with the purpose of fostering the creation of innovative and new financial products and services, it will also support the stabilization of such services in the financial services market at the end of the testing period and is expected that the FinISA will support a revitalization of the FinTech industry which experienced sluggish growth in recent times. In particular, as companies and investors become more interested in security tokens and Security Token Offerings (‚ÄúSTO‚ÄĚ) which are regulated by the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (the ‚ÄúFSCMA‚ÄĚ), there have been on-going discussions and debates as to whether the FinISA could lead to a breakthrough in the crypto-asset industry based on blockchain technology. Crypto assets encompasses those assets which utilize blockchain technology where the asset is digitalized by utilization of cryptography, peer-to-peer networks and a public ledger of verified transactions resulting in a ‚Äėunits‚Äô of such a crypto asset without any involvement by middle-persons or brokers (e.g., cryptocurrency.

The sacking of Nissan‚Äôs high-profile chairman may have beenproof that nobody is infallible. But Nicola Sharp argues that it should also beseen as an indicator that no company can be considered safe from wrongdoing.

Advertisements featuring statements on the effects of medical treatments are only permissible if they are supported by sound scientific evidence. This was reaffirmed by the Oberlandesgericht (OLG) Frankfurt, the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt.

For a sign to be capable of being registered as an EU trade mark, it must be distinctive across the entire European Union. This was confirmed by the Court of Justice of European Union (ECJ) in a ruling from 25 July 2018.

As one of the leading law firms in Cyprus, we are active promoters and supporters of local economic growth by sponsoring local events, applying environmental-friendly practices, minimizing our ecological impact, and most importantly, by raising money for local charities and non-profit organizations.

Recently there were a lot of publications within the European Union expressing concerns about the allegedly very high number of Cypriot passports being given to foreign investors the last few years. The Council of Ministers has decided on 9th January 2018 with the decision with number 84.069, to impose a stricter supervision of all the parties involved in the Scheme for the naturalisation of non-Cypriot investors in Cyprus by exception.

In order to harmonize the¬† Acquis Communautaire on the Taxation of untapped and undeveloped plots of land, the Cyprus Government enacted, on 03/11/2017, relevant legislation for the imposition of 19% Value Added Tax (VAT) on these properties, with a date of enforcement being 02/01/2018. The relevant legislation refers to plots/pieces of land offered and/or provided for construction for economic purposes.